Berry Hike...

3:30 pm - 72 degrees - cloudy...

I love, love, love living in the mountains.  Being able to step outside the front door and walk around our property harvesting wild berries, is just amazing!  Now that harvest season is upon us, it’s time to go on another berry hike and see what we can find.

There are so many different types of shrubs and trees that offer up a berry tempting variety of fruits for our taste buds.  However, it’s always important to keep in mind that not all fruits found in our forest are safe to eat.  So after a tasty stroll around the property, here’s what we found...

Blackcap aka Wild Black Raspberry {Rubus occidentalis}

Blackcap aka Wild Black Raspberry {Rubus occidentalis}

The Blackcap or Black Raspberries are closely related to the Red Raspberry but the black fruit makes them look like Blackberries.  Even though many may get them confused, they have a taste that is uniquely their own and oh so delicious!

Blue Elderberry aka Blue Elder {Sambucus cerulea}

Whether it be red or blue, Elderberries are easy to like.  They are user-friendly.  Jam, jelly, pies, syrup, schnapps, brandy and wine can all be made from those tiny little berries.  The flowers are also edible and can be used in pancakes and muffins or just dipped in batter and fried.  They also make a nice tea.

Blue Huckleberry {Vaccinium deliciosum}

Any hiker in the Pacific Northwest worth his or her weight in Huckleberries, know that late summer hiking has joys all its own...of a juicy, purple/blue variety.  The wild Blue Huckleberry is a very coveted berry.  Pickers often find themselves competing with Black bears, cougars, and other native animals for the sweet, juicy huckleberries which are just delicious in pies, jam, pancakes, muffins, ice cream, syrup, and oh so much more.

Oregon  Grape {Mahonia nervosa}

The Oregon Grape is not related to true grapes, but gets its name from the purple cluster of berries whose color and slightly dusted appearance are reminiscent of grapes.  The berries are highly acidic (sour), but they make a delicious jam.

Oval Leaf Blueberry aka Alaska Blueberry aka Early Blueberry {Vaccinium ovalifolium}

The wild Blueberries that we found in our yard are likely the most well know berry on our list of berries we’ve found here.  And personally I think they taste just as good if not better than the ones bought in the store.  I even had to pick a handful so I can make Blueberry pancakes in the morning.

Red Elderberry {Sambucus racemosa}

Some references say Red Elderberries are edible, some say they are not.  Basically what I have found out is that if you eat a lot of raw, whole, Red Elderberries, you will most likely end up with an upset stomach.  If they are deseeded and cooked, then they are just fine.

Red Huckleberry {Vaccinium parvifolium}

These delicate translucent berries have been a source of food for generations of Northwest natives, animals and people alike.  As heavily used as they are, not everyone enjoys their tangy-tart flavor.  It is for this reason that the Red Huckleberries are usually combines with other berries, like the Blueberry to add sweetness.

Salal {Gaultheria shallon}

The Salal’s dark blue berries and young leaves are both edible, and both with a unique flavor.  Salal berries were a significant food resource for Native Americas, who both ate them fresh and dried them into cakes.  More recently, the berries are used in james, preserves and pies.  They are often combined with Oregon Grape berries because the tartness of the Oregon Grape is partially masked by the mild sweetness of the Salal berries.

Salmonberry {Rubus spectabilis}

The Salmonberry, Thimbleberry, Trailing Blackberry and Black Caps all share the fruit structure of the Raspberry, with the fruit pulling away from its receptacle.  Books often call the Salmonberry “insipid” but depending on ripeness and where you found them, they are good eaten raw and when processed into jam, jelly and wine.

Stink Currant aka Blue Currant {Ribes bracteosum}

Stink Currant is named for its skunky aroma.  It’s far less pungent than Skunk Cabbage, and the name doesn’t always translate to flavor.  It seems that the flavor of these berries can range anywhere from nasty to delicious. 

Thimbleberry {Rubus parviflorus}

Thimbleberries are larger, flatter, and softer than Raspberries, and have many small seeds.  Because the fruit if so soft, it does not pack or ship well, so Thimbleberries are rarely cultivated commercially.  However, wild Thimbleberries can be eaten raw, dried or made into jam.

Trailing Blackberry {Rubus ursinus}

This Blackberry is not the big brambly invasive bully lining area rivers and roadways.  Our native Trailing Blackberry likes to spread.  Instead of forming self supported brambles, it rambles about the landscape as a vine-like ground cover, but tastes just as delicious as the brambly Blackberry.

...we found quite a few actually!  I just love having all these delicious wild edible berries around our home!  

Off The Mountain Fun...

4:57 pm - 43 degrees - raining...

Every now and then we just need to get away from the daily grind, which sometimes means getting off the mountain to go exploring.  

One of the many reasons we love living in the Pacific Northwest is because it's one of the most ecologically diverse areas in the country. 

Head North and you’ll run into Olympic Nation Park which is home to the Hoh National Rainforest – the largest rainforest in the United States.  There is also the Puget Sound which is comprised of inlets, channels, estuaries and home to the San Juan Islands. 

Head west and you’ll see the beautiful rugged coastline of the Pacific Ocean that is lined with steep cliffs, moss covered trees and enough rainy days to keep it gorgeous and green. You also have the Long Beach Peninsula which is an arm of land that is known for its continuous sand beaches which also happen to be a Washington State Highway.

Running down the center is the Cascade Mountain range that splits the area in two from north to south.  There are also a handful of active volcanoes, along with the remains from the many lahars (volcanic mudflows).

Running across the center from east to west is the Columbia River.  Along the Columbia River is the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area which protects the spectacular canyon where the Columbia River cuts through the Cascade mountain - with cliffs and overlooks of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south.

You want the high desert, head to the east side and you’re in the Columbia Basin which is a dry, open country, rich in stark scenery.

There are so many different options to choose from, a few hours in any direction and you have something beautiful, different and amazing to explore and enjoy.

Still, home is where our hearts are.

Lava Canyon Trail #184...

12:27 pm - 59 degrees - blue sky and sunshine...

Yesterday was our Girl Scout troop’s family hike.  I wanted to pick a hiking trail that no one had hiked yet and was fairly kid friendly.  So I picked the Lava Canyon Trail #184.

Here we go... 2+ hour drive to the Lava Canyon Trailhead!

The Lava Canyon trail is a three-layer hike, each layer a little more challenging than the previous, through a stunning canyon carved into an ancient lava layer. 

The rock formations in Lava Canyon are remnants of a Mount Saint Helens lava flow that coursed down the Muddy River’s valley several thousand years ago.  The basalt lava fractured into a honeycomb of pillar-like columns as it cooled.  When the river then cut down through the flow it carved waterfall chutes and left free-standing lava towers.

Later stream debris buried the formations until Mt St Helens erupted again on May 18, 1980 when the heat destroyed Shoestring Glacier, triggering a massive lahar (mudflow) that swept through the area at over 100 miles an hour, washing everything out but leaving a lifeless, mud-caked landscape in its wake. 

Nature finds its own way of recovering what is lost.  The transformation at Mount St Helens is amazing; what once was a barren landscape of destruction is now bursting with new growth.

The unique Lava Canyon trail wanders through this geological phenomenon in a beautiful way.  The views around every turn are amazing!  In addition to the breathtaking views, you also get to climb metal staircases, cross bridges, and climb ladders.

A sign at the trailhead marks the three-sections like a ski map – green for “easiest”, blue for “more difficult”, and black for “most difficult”.  Since our fun lovin’ group of 26 people, had an age range of 4 years old to 60+ years old, we choose to only do the first two sections which is a 1.3 mile loop with a 300-foot elevation gain. 

The first “easy” section is a paved ADA path that leads 0.4 miles to an overlook, but it gets more challenging when the pavement ends. 

The second “more difficult” section was definitely not as kid friendly as the first section since parts of the path are very close to cliff edges, and the steep wet rock was extremely slippery.  There are signs everywhere stating that over the years, there have been fatalities from hikers getting too close to the edge, slipping, and falling into the raging creek and waterfalls below.  Even with all the warning signs, the second section includes the 125-foot cable suspension bridge, so we continued on.

 

The 125-foot cable suspension bridge can be an intense experience for those who are not comfortable with heights.  You can turn around and hike back if the bridge just isn’t your thing.  Even though a few people in our group do not love heights, I am happy to say that everyone crossed the bridge!

The swaying cable suspension bridge was AWESOME!!!

125-foot Cable Suspension Bridge!!!

After we had all crossed the bridge we looked for and found our first Geocache of the day! 

Geocache Hot Lava GCG632 - Found it!

At this point we continued around the loop and back to our cars. 

Below the bridge, for the more adventurous hikers without small children, you can continue downstream where the trail drops more dramatically and sometimes leaves hikers exposed.  Eventually, the trail arrives at a point where hikers must descends a dizzying 30-foot ladder if they wish to continue.  A bit further down the canyon, a 0.2-mile spur trail visits (via another ladder) a lava outcrop viewpoint called The Ship.  Turn around here for an uphill return to your car.

After we completed the hike, we headed out to find our second and last Geocache for the day.  This one was an EarthCache at a lahar viewpoint with Mt St Helens in the background.  The photo does not do it justice.  It was beautiful, and a wonderful ending to the fun day.

Geocache Lahar Viewpoint GC3Q2XY - EarthCache, Found it!